What’s New: Cars from every nook and cranny within the automotive landscape are feeling the pressure to slim down and use smaller engines to improve fuel efficiency. Even boutique companies like Bentley, which built their reputation on heavy, powerhouse machines, are shedding cylinders to boost efficiency.

Bentley’s current, 2.5-ton $200,000 Continental GT coupe uses an enormous 567-hp, 6.0-liter twin-turbocharged 12-cylinder engine mated to a six-speed automatic. It has locomotive-like thrust, hitting 60 mph in less than 4.5 seconds and topping out at just shy of 200 mph. Trouble is, it also chugs fuel like a locomotive—its 14-mpg combined would make a Ford F150 blush. So the company is introducing a new, more efficient, and less expensive model in the Continental lineup.

But Bentley isn’t about to deprive its clientele of horsepower, so the new $175,000 Continental GT V-8 delivers a full 500 hp as well. That power comes from a 4.0-liter twin-turbo eight-cylinder shared with corporate cousin Audi’s upcoming high-performance S6, S7, and S8 sedans. In the Bentley, this powerplant gives a combined fuel economy of around 21 mpg. That’s not exactly Prius territory, but it’s a 40 percent improvement over the 12-cylinder car.

The smaller engine is only part of Bentley’s formula for better mileage. In the V-8 models, the luxury brand tosses aside the old six-speed for a new eight-speed ZF automatic that provides a 6 percent efficiency gain on its own. (The 12-cylinder cars will receive this transmission later this year.) The new V-8 still uses the same all-wheel-drive system as the more powerful models, sending 40 percent of the power to the front wheels and 60 percent to the rear. The new car uses a unique front differential because of V-8 packaging that allows for a straighter driveshaft angle and improved efficiency.

And since this is a Bentley, the V-8 model offers a choice of eight different interior finishes, including a new Dark Fiddleback Eucalyptus veneer that comes standard.